Trumpet tone control



March 23, 1954 C, KAUFER 2,672783 TRUMPET TONE CONTROL Filed April 10, 1951 INVENToR. COMPAQ /wFe-e m f f /M Arianne-ya" Patented Mar. 23, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,672,783 TRUMPET TONE CONTRCL Conrad Kaufer, Willoughby, Ohio Application April 10, 1951, Serial No. 220,169

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a tone control for a valve equipped brass musical Wind instrument such as, for example, a trumpet of the type having multiple sliding control valves.

An object of the invention is to provide in a valve equipped musical wind instrument means for controlling and improving the perfection of the tones produced by the instrument and for producing semi-tones not ordinarily obtainable with the instrument.

A further object is to provide a valve equipped musical wind instrument with means for improving the quality of the notes produced, particularly the upper and lower notes, since in the usual instrument of this type there is a tendency to produce upper and lower notes which are not perfect and usually are too high.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide in a multi-valve musical wind instrument such as a trumpet, improved means for correcting the high and low notes played by the manipulation of the valves.

Another object is to provide the improved means of the preceding objects and which means is so constructed and arranged in the instrument that it is controlled or actuated automatically by the actuation of one of the usual valves of the instrument.

Further and additional objects and advantages residing inthe invention and not hereinbefore explicitly referred to Will become apparent hereinafter during a, detailed description of an embodiment of the invention which is to follow and which embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a trumpet of the three sliding valve type and to which the invention has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the trumpet shown in Fig. 1 and illustrates,` partly in elevation and partly in section, the improved means embodying the invention, with. the rotary valve of said means being shown in its inactive or closed position.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but shows the rotary valve in its open or active position.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of the trumpet shown inFig. 1,` including the improved means embodying the Vinvention and is taken looking at the trumpet from-the opposite side from that viewed 1x1-Figs; 1, 2 and-3', and

. housing Fig. 5 is a detached end view of the rotary valve housing of the improved means embodying the invention.

The trumpet It shown in Fig. 1 is of the ordinary and well known construction and need not be described in detail. The trumpet as is usual in instruments of this type includes three valve housings II, I2 and I3 for the customary sliding valves and which sliding valves are actuated or controlled by plungers I4 extending outwardly of the valve housings in the usual manner and provided with buttons engaged by the fingers of the trumpeter as will be well understood.

The sliding valves in the housings II, I2 and II-i are ordinarily designated, respectively, as the first, second and third valves of the instrument.

The present invention contemplates providing such a trumpet with the improved tone controlling device. The tone control device includes a I5 for a rotary control valve and which housing is attached to and supported by short tube sections i6 which are in communication with the interior of the rotary valve housing and are in communication through the usual tubing with the sliding valve housing II. The tube sections it communicate with. the lower portion of the rotary valve housing while a short length of tubing I'I communicates with the upper part of the rotary valve housing and is supported thereby, said short length of tubing I'i being arranged in circular .formation so as to have its opposite ends in communication with the rotary valve housing and when the rotary valve is in open or active position (Fig. 3) to form an extension of the tube sections It.

It will be understood that a length of the regular tubing of the trumpet which communicates with the sliding valve housing II of the No. 1 valve is removed to accommodate the tube sections IG ,and the rotary valve housing I5. It should be pointed out that when the rotary valve is in the closed or inactive position cf Fig. 2 then the combined length of the tube sections I6 and the substantially straight passage through the valve housing is substantially equal in length to the length of the straight regular tubing removed from the instrument to accommodate the tube sections and the valvehousing I5.

The rotary valve within the valve housing I 5 is indicated atie and when sai-d valve is inits closed or inactive position, as shown in Fig. 2,'

it forms with the valve housing a passage communicating with the tube sections I6 and said passage and tube sections constitute a substantially straight horizontal tubular passage which, as has been stated, is the equivalent of the regular length of tubing that has been removed from the trumpet.

When the rotary valve IB is moved to its open or active position of Fig. 3 it and the valve housing form passages communicating, respectively, with the tube sections I6 and the opposite ends of the curved length of tube I1. Therefore air will pass from one of the tube sections I6 through one passage in the valve housing through the curved length of tube I1l then through the other passages in lthe valve housing and thence through the other tube section IB. The passage of the air just referred to follows a circular and elongated path while when the valve IB is in the inactive or closed position of Fig. 2` the air .follows the substantially straight and shorter regular path'. It is the provision of the longer and circular path for the air that provides for improving the perfection of the tones produced by the trumpet and enables the trumpet to produce notes of improved quality, especially the upper and lower notes which in the usual instrument must be controlled principally by the lips oi the trumpeter.

The manner in which the rotary valve I8 is actuated or controlled will novr be described- The rotary valve i3 is formed on a spindle I9 rotatably supported by the opposite ends of the valve housing I5. The spindle IS extends outwardly of one end of the valve housing and has fixed thereto a lever arm 23. The lever arm 2|! is provided with a bearing pin 20a adjacent its outer end and one end of a link 2| is pivotally connected to the bearing pin 20a. The opposite end of the link 2| is pivotally connected to the free end of the arm 22 of a bell crank lever that is plvotally mounted at the junction of its two arms on a bracket 23 which, in this instance, is shown as secured to the housing II for the No. 1 sliding valve of the trumpet. The other arm oi-the bell crank lever is indicated at 24 and has its free end pivotally connected to one end oi a flexible link 25 that extends forwardly of the trumpet and passes over and in contact with a sheave 26 that is rotatably supported on a bracket 21 secured to the sliding valve housings I z and I3.

The valve housing I3 for the No. 3 valve is provided with a. vertically extending slot 28 through which projects a pin 29 carried by the No. 3 sliding valve body within the housing I3. The pin 23 is parallel to the axis oi the sheave 23 and is provided with an opening therethrough extending substantially perpendicular to its axis. The link 25 which preferably is a flexible wire or cord has its free or forward end extending through the opening in the pin 29 and is secured to the pin 29.

The rotary valve I8 is provided with a pin 30 that projects through an arcuate slot 3| formed in the end of the valve housing I that is opposite to the end on which the lever arm 20 is locatedl said slot 3| being concentric to the rotary valve spindle I9. A spring 32 has one end connected to the pin 30 and its opposite end fastened to a pin 33 located on the end of the valve housing I5, said spring 32 acting to rotate the rotary valve I8 in a clockwise direction.

When the sliding valve No. 3 in the housing I3 is lnits uppermost position the rotary 'valve I8 will be in its closed or inactive position asin- .and it will be clear that dicated in Fig. 2 and at such time the pin 29 will be located near the upper end of the vertical slot 28 in the sliding valve housing I3. When the trumpeter depresses the sliding valve No. 3 the pin 29 moves downwardly with the valve body in the slot 28 and such movement when sliding valve No. 3 is in substantially its lowermost position will have exerted a pull on the flexible link 25 to rock the bell crank lever clockwise from the position shown in Fig. l with the result that the lower arm 22 of the bell crank moves the link 2| and rocks the lever arm 20 and the rotary valve spindle I9 to cause the rotary valve to move from the motive `or closed position of Fig. 2 to the active or open position of Fig. 3. At such time a longer and circular passage for the air is provided through the tube sections I6, valve housing I5 and the tube length I1 to produce the improved tonal effect with the trumpet.

When the trumpeter releases the pressure on the No. 3 sliding valve the latter moves to its uppermost position and the spring 32 rocks the rotating valve I8 from the open position of Fig. 3 to the closed position of Fig. 2.

It will be understood that in some eases it may be desirable to have the rotary valve I8 controlled by the sliding valve No. 1 of the trumpet then the slot 23 and pin 29r will be located on the valve housing II and the exible link connected to the pin in the manner previously described. Also, if it is desirable to do so, a length of the regular tubing adjacent the sliding valve housing I3 may be f removed and the tube sections I6 together with the rotary valve housing I5 `and tube length I1 substituted for the removed length o! tubing.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described here in, it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited thereto but is susceptible oi various modifications and adaptations within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

l. In a brass wind musical instrument of the type having three sliding valve housings containing sliding valves Nos. l, 2 and 3, and regular tubing communicating with` said housing;` improvement which comprises an auxiliary valve housing mounted on and having its lower part communicating with the regular length of tubing that communicates with the sliding valve housing containing sliding valve No. 1, a curved length oi additional tubing having its opposite ends communicating with the upper part of said auxiliary valve housing, a normally closed `rotating valve in said auxiliary valve housing forming with the latter when closed a passagev constituting in effect part ot said regular length of tubing and when open forming with said auxiliary valve housing passages communicating with the opposite ends of said curved length o! tubing and with said regular length of tubing thus increasing the effective length of the tubing over the normal length thereof, and means operatively connecting sliding valve No. 3 with said rotating valve whereby actuation of sliding valve No. 3 controls said rotating valve.

2. The improvement defined in claim l and wherein the means which operatively connects sliding valve No; 3 with said rotating valve includes a. vertical slot in the valve 'housing for sliding valve No. 3. a Din carried by sliding valve No. 3 and projecting throughsaid slot, a flexible` link having one end secured 'to pin. la. sheave supported by said sliding valve housings and over which said flexible link extends, a bell crank lever having one arm connected to the other end of said iiexible link and pivotally supported by the sliding valve housing for sliding valve No. 1, a. link having one end pivotally connected to the other arm of said bell crank lever and its other end operatively connected to said rotary valve.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Fiske Oct. 30, 1866 Gulick June 17, 1930 Hubley Oct. 11, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Nov. 6, 1911 

